Certificate – 15
Directed By – Chad Stahelski
Starring – Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Halle Berry, Mark Dacascos, Laurence Fishburne, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Anjelica Huston.
Running Time – 128 Minutes (2 Hours 8 Minutes)
Who knew that John Wick, the little action movie that could, would become one of the most important action movies of recent memory as the franchise grows from strength to strength.
If you haven’t already, I strongly suggest you check out Chapters 1&2.
Mixing an old school action feel with new ways of stunts making killing people like an art form.
We’re now on Chapter 3, Parabellum which is Latin for prepare for war and now you can prepare yourself as this movie is out on DVD/Blu-ray.
What Is John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum About?
Super assassin John Wick (Reeves) has a $14 million price tag on his head after killing a member of the High Table, the shadowy international assassins’ guild. Now excommunicado, and with an army of the world’s most ruthless hit men and women on his tail, John must find a way to survive.
Is It Any Good?
Of course, it is! There’s no such thing, after three movies, as a bad John Wick film.
Reeves continues to get stronger and stronger as the character and world around him continue to expand. This film can be looked at as the origin of John Wick as well as we see how the man will develop moving forward.
This includes the introduction of the Adjudicator, the one who keeps the High Tables rules inline (without getting their hands dirty) but aren’t as straight line as they should be punishing those who help John before his excommunicado.
If the franchise continues with this storyline then the Adjudicator’s are the last line of defence for the High Table and we should see more of the members and possibly the head in the next film.
The character is wonderfully played by Dillion and looking forward to seeing his hopefully return.
Meanwhile, we finally learn of Wick’s past and future as if the title wasn’t already a hint, war is coming in this universe and it’s going to be beautiful.
Story-wise this is the best film yet and the action and stunts make it the best film in the franchise.
Every major fight scene is like a beautiful dance and mixing different elements to make it feel new like knife-fu and dog-fu. What’s refreshing to see is that we see John continue to get his arse kicked and isn’t project like an action hero, more of a guy (with a certain set of skill) just making it out.
It shows near the end as Wick shows respect to both Cecep Arif Rahman and Yayan Ruhian’s Shinobi 1&2 and Dacascos’ Zero, who brings humour to the film.
Elsewhere, the supporting cast does a wonderful job including, McShane, Huston and it’s great to see Reddick able to show some arse-kicking. Additionally, seeing Fishburne as the King behind this war is going to be fun to see.
Anything Bad About The Film?
This is more nip-picky, and the dog-fu was AWESOME, Berry’s Sofia is a little wasted and could’ve been cut out.
However, I’m hoping we’ll see more in Chapter 4 as it’s an interesting character. It just felt unneeded in the film.
I wish it had a better score, I know it something a lot of people don’t care about but I love film scores. While this as a cool, techno vibe it’s forgettable.
Has The Blu-Ray Got Any Special Features?
Yes, it’s packed which is fantastic to see. It could be important to the overall understanding of the High Table which is really useful!
Parabellum: Legacy of the High Table Featurette
Excommunicado Featurette
Check Your Sights Featurette
Saddle Up Wick Featurette
Bikes, Blades, Bridges and Bits Featurette
Continental in the Desert Featurette
Dog Fu Featurette
House of Transparency Featurette
Shot by Shot Featurette
Theatrical Trailer 1
Theatrical Trailer 2
John Wick Hex Game Trailer
Behind the Scenes of John Wick Hex Featurette
Verdict
This is the best John Wick film yet, with a fantastic story and action and this Blu-ray is a must for all fans and newcomers.
